Refrigerator for delicatessens



May 31, 1938. w. E. CRUSE 2,119,422 y I REFRIGERATOR FOR DELICATESSENS Filed Jan. 26, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1- Q ooooo ooo@ ld? ,liu

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oeoo l May 31, 1938. w. E. cRUsE 2,119,422

REFRIGERATOR FORk DELICATESSENS Filed Jan. 2e, 1957 2 sheets-sheet 2 www Patented May 31,

UNITEDsTATEs PATENT OFFICE" REFRIGERATOR FR DELICATESSENS William E. Cruse, Louisville, Ky. Application January 26,1937, seria; Np. 122,442 s claims.- v(ette- 895) sion of an eflicient and attractive device of this character which will provide maximum 'storage space for articles with said articles so arranged that [they may be clearly viewed and certain of said articles readily removed ,bya Yperson or customer without the necessity of openingrdo'ors' orsimilar closures, thereby rendering a portion of the device self-serving.

With these and otherobjects in view; this invention consists in certain novel features of con-v struction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understandingoi` my invention, reference is to be had to the followingY description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating a` refrigerator for store display and constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view, partly in viewl illustrating the same.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1. l Figure 4f is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating one of the refrigerant units and a housing therefor equipped with display shelves.

Referring in detail tothe drawings, the numeral I indicates a cabinet including a lower structure in which are formed compartments 2 separated by a vertically arranged partition 3 and further includes 4an upper structure consisting of end walls 4 and side walls 5.y The lower structure has side, end and bottom walls 6, 1 and 8; The walls 6, 1 and 8 are. of 'an Linsulated construction and the side wals have door-` ways normally closed by hinged doors 9 equipped with suitable fasteners Ill for securingr the doors in closed position. 'Ihe doors are preferably constructed with spaced transparent panels .-II forming dead air spaces therebetween.l The lower structure of the cabinet is separated from the upper structure by an insulated top wall I2. Located in the compartments 2 of the lower structure and adiacent the top wall I2 is a refrigerant unit I3 for the purpose Vof chilling the air in the compartments 2 to a desired temperature. Inthe compartments and spaced from the bottom wall 8 are sloping shelves or false bottoms I4 on which may be positioned foodarticles. Said food articles are readily' accessible 'The -panels I1 extend rfrom onel end wall, 4 to lo Vtheothei;end wall:f'herupperstructprenzifthe Y cated by by opening the doors 9 and may be viewed while in the compartments 2 by way of the transparent panels of the doors. v

The side walls 5 of the upper ystructure carry considerably largetransparent panels I6 and the 5 height of the side walls is much less'thanr the height of the end walls arid secured to the upper edges of the end walls and sloping upwardly and towards each other Aare transparent panels l1.

cabinet is divided by a casing I8 which is arranged longitudinally orf the cabinet between the end walls 4 and extends slightly above the highest point of the end wall, as shown in. Fig- 15 ure 3. The casing I8 rests upon the top wall I24 of the lower structure of the cabinet and opposite side walls I9 thereof have a series of perforations 2li and also said side walls adjacent their lowei` edges are cutaway to dene comparatively zo large slots ZI. `The casing I8 cooperates with the side walls 5 and 4 of the upper structure in forming chambers readily accessible from either side of the cabinet and supported by the side walls I9 of thev casing are upper and lower shelves 22 25 and 23 arranged in the chambers. The shelves 22 are integral withthe casing I8 andare Iocated in a plane slightly below the upper edges of the panels I1. Certain of the perforations- 20 are located above the shelves 22, while the 30 other perforationsare located below the shelves 22. The slots 2| are arranged in a plane below the shelves 23-and said last-named shelves-are partlysupported by the top wall I2 of the lower structure of the cabinet. A refrigerant unit 24 35 is supported in the upper portion of the casing I8 and the air chilled thereby "circulates downwardly in the casing'v I8 passing therefrom by way of the perforations 20 and slots 2l v as indithe arrows in Figure 3, This chilled n air in its downward paths contacts articles positioned on the shelves 2?. and 23. The vnatural tendency of the chilled is topass downwardly and only ascends whenitstemperature so that rthe articles Supported by the shelves 22 and 45 23 will be kept at a temperaturetoassure against spoiling with said `articles readily accessible by a person removing them from said shelves over the upper .edges of the panels I1 of the side walls 5 of the cabinet. Carried by the top of the cas- 50 ing I8 is a plate 21 arranged horizontally vand of a width greater than the width of the casing so as to protrude over the entrances to the chambers of the upper structure and carries at its longitudinal edees suitable illuminating means n 5 the upper structure will be 'deiiected by thel j plates 22 towards the cooling unit 24 thereby completing the circulation of air from the cooling unit 24 through the chambers of the upper structure vand back to said cooling unit 24.

l() -Any food articles which a merchant desires to be obtainable by a purchaser himself are arranged on the shelves 22 and 2l, these food articles being kept at a 'desired temperature and vin clear view of the purchaser. Other food articles which the merchant does not desire to be 0btained so readily by the purchaser are positioned in the compartments 2 f the lower structure and, preferably such articles require a lower ,-temperature'to preserve them, it being understood that the temperature in the compartments 2 of the lower structure is much lower than the temperature in the chambers of the upper structure. However, it is to be understood that the temperatures within the compartments and up- 25 per chambers will be such that any food articles placed in the compartments and chambers -will be kept from spoiling.

- 'The type of cabinet shown and described provides maximumstorage space for articles and is preferably positioned within a storeroom away from the walls of said room so that the customers Y said passages,'sa.id side walls including transmay readily passabout thegnwtire cabinet. Howscope of this-invention the cabinet may be constructed as exactly one-half of that shown in the 'drawings so that the cabinet can be positioned against a wall within a storeroom.

The most important and novel features of this invention is the arrangement for displaying food 40 articles wherein the articles maybe obtained with least eilorton the part of the purchaser and still be kept at atemperature which will assure against spoiling of the articles.. 'I'he location' of the chillingv vunit 24 is extremely important with respect to the chambers of the upper structure so that the chilled air passing from the chilling unit 24 will 'descend and contact' the ar- -ticles arranged in the vchambers of the upper structure.

whaois claimed is:

1. .A refrigerator including a-lower cnstruction having chilling compartments, an upper Y structure supported by the lower construction and including end and side walls. a casing supported by the lower construction and connecting the end walls and spaced from said side walls Y to provide chilling chambers, said side walls terminatin'g in a plane below the upperend of the casing and spaced therefrom to provide enw trances for said chilling chambers, a chilling unit in said casing and the latter having openings in opposite walls-to permit` chilled air to'circulate from within the casing to said chambers f and from the latter back into said casing, article supporting shelves carried by said opposite walls Vvof the casing4 and arranged in the chilling cham- Y bers with some of-the openings ofthe casing arrangedin a plane thereabove andV other openings arranged in a plane below said shelves, and

shelves supported by said opposite walls of the casing and the lower construction and spaced therefrom to provide air passagesthereunder opening to said chilling chambers, said opposite walls of the casing having slots to admit from the casing chilled air to said passages.

2. A .refrigerator including a lowerconstruction having chilling compartments, `an `upper structure supported by the lower construction and including end and side walls, a casing supported by the lower construction and connecting the end walls and spaced from "said side walls to provide chilling chambers, said side wsusf terminating in a plane below the'upper end of the casing and spaced therefrom to provide entrances for said chilling chambers, a. chilling unit in said casingand the latter having openings in opposite walls to permit chilled air to circulate from within the casing to said chambers and from the latter back into said casing. ar-

ticle supporting shelves carried by said opposite walls of the casing and arranged in the chilling chambers with some of the openings of the casing. arranged in a. plane thereabove and other openings arrangedin a plane below said shelves, and shelves supported by said opposite walls of the casing and the lower construction and spaced therefrom to provide air pas- -sages thereunder opening to said chilling chambers, said opposite Vwalls of the casing having slots to admit from the'casing chilled air to the end walls and spaced from said side wallsv to provide chilling chambers, said side walls terarticles supporting shelves ca'nied by said opposite walls of the casing and arranged inthe chilling chambers with some of the openings of other openings arranged in a plane below said shelves, and shelves supported by said opposite walls of the casing and the lower construction and spaced therefrom to provide air passages thereunder opening to said chilling chambers,` said oppo'sitewalls of the casing having slots'to admit from the casing chilled aijr to said passages, said side walls including transparent panels and certain of said panels extending upwardly and inwardly towards said opposite Malls of the casing, a horizontally disposed plate supported manning downwardly and towards said oppositewallsofthecasing. f rWim-ums'.causa.Y 

